Be there. Our picks for a week's worth of fun.

New Sprouts

February 26, 1999|By Maureen Ryan.

Fans of the Dayton, Ohio, band Guided by Voices always looked forward to the songs by Tobin Sprout on each of the band's albums. The songs by Sprout were sparkling gems of popcraft, dizzy two-minute anthems of beauty. Sprout has parted from G.B.V. on friendly terms, moved to Michigan and now spends much of his time creating his photorealist paintings, but he hasn't abandoned his music career. On Tuesday, Sprout's third solo album, "Let's Welcome the Circus People," was released. "I wanted it to be a little weirder than the last record, but once (a record) gets started, it kind of takes its own direction. I think it's not quite as ballad-y as the last album, a little more pop," Sprout says. If you're a fan of G.B.V., or of Sprout's work, you can find out more about his new record and his paintings at www.tobinsprout.com.